Last November at Computer 98 in Cologne I promised to deliver an advanced
operating system that would once again put Amigans at the forefront of
technology. Over the past 7 months we have had a team of over 40 engineers
working towards making that promise and vision a reality. We are now in the
final stages of development and are poised to put these new technologies
into the hands of thousands of serious, enthusiastic developers like yourself.

QNX is often compared to UNIX, LINUX and BSD. We do share the same POSIX
APIs, and most code written for these systems ports easily to QNX, but the
resemblance ends there. Based on 20 years of OS experience, QNX has a
radically more advanced architecture. It's a massively scalable,
multi-threaded, fault-tolerant, realtime OS designed for devices and
computers of any type or size. QNX provides a unique network architecture
where large full-service protocol stacks aren't required on each computer
and devices plugged into the network are simply "discovered" automatically
by other devices - all services and peripherals of the new device can then
be used by any other device in the network. QNX is also the only
self-hosted RTOS where the development environment and the runtime target
environment are the same. And though we're not open source, we adopt an
"open source" policy for hardware-specific drivers. This allows us to
continually support the latest hardware advances, while still maintaining
control of core technology. More importantly, it ensures QNX has a focused
vision for the future.

If you haven't visited our web site before, I invite you to look at the QNX
Realtime OS and Photon microGUI®. If you'd like to dig a little deeper,
we've included some screen shots of the exciting new look-and-feel for
Photon below (click on the image to expand). We've also put the new QNX
Neutrino System Architecture manual online.

In a nutshell, QNX is the core and Photon the graphical environment for our
new OS foundation:

Although Photon represents a unique new graphical environment, it works
seamlessly with existing windowing systems. You can, for example, connect
to a Photon desktop from a Windows desktop or connect to a Windows desktop
from a Photon desktop. And because a large number of existing source bases
use the X Window System, we allow developers to compile an application for
X and then run the application under Photon.

QNX Developers Network for Amigans

To deliver this technology to Amiga developers, we're creating the QNX
Developers Network for Amigans. Qualified Amiga developers will receive, at
no charge, a complete beta development package that includes the QNX
Realtime OS, a suite of state-of-the-art multimedia technologies, the
unique network-distributed Photon microGUI, and a self-hosted development
environment. We will also create a dedicated online newsgroup, as well as a
web site to provide technology updates and previews.

Initially, we're looking for beta sites interested in porting existing
applications or writing new applications. Companies and individual
developers are both invited to join - the only thing we ask is commitment.
We want active beta testers, not tire kickers, who will promise to provide
valuable feedback.

Of course, commitment goes both ways. So in addition to starting this
program, we will, as of now, become active and vocal in all the appropriate
newsgroups and magazines. We're looking forward to being a fully active
member of the Amiga community, and to working closely with Amigans to
create the next revolution in multimedia computing.

Initial Release

Our initial beta release will be for x86 PCs. While this hardware platform
may, at first, seem undesirable to some of you, remember that most QNX
applications and device drivers are source-identical across CPUs and
boards. As a result, any work done on x86 will migrate easily to any other
supported platform. We chose x86 because it's the hardware solution most
widely available at low cost in the time frame that we wish to release the
first beta - this Fall.

Are You Interested?

If you're interested in joining the QNX Developers Network for Amigans,
please click here to fill out the application form. If you have any
questions, email us at amiga@qnx.com.

If your company already has an application you wish to port, you're also invited to contact the Department of Strategic Alliances at QNX Software Systems. Email: amiga-ports@qnx.com Tel: +1 613 591-0931.

Move 2: Amiga

· · OPEN LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY

Linux Announcement

Dear Amigans,

After months of research and in-depth discussions with all of our
technology partners we have decided to use Linux as the primary OS kernel
for the new Amiga Operating Environment (OE). I know this decision is a
shock to many of you given the previous announcements and activities
relative to QNX. This was a very complicated and difficult decision to make
and I assure you that I didn't make this decision without a significant
amount of research and deliberation. We have been researching Linux since
February but didn't finalized our decision until several weeks ago. We were
planning to communicate it to the Amiga community in the technology brief
that will be released in the next few days.

I am pressed to communicate the Linux decision before the technology brief
because of information released by QNX in the last few days. This
information had not been reviewed or approved for release by Amiga. In
light of our Linux decision, this information is confusing and misleading
so I would like to take the time to clarify the situation. I can't disclose
any details of the Amiga/QNX discussions because of legally binding
confidentiality agreements but I can talk to you about our decision to use
the Linux kernel. I think that you will agree that this is the right
decision once you understand the reasons for this decision.

Before I continue, I should mention that our technology decision does not
reflect negatively on QNX. I believe that QNX is a good company with great
technology. I just believe that Linux gives us a better chance of executing
our plans successfully.

The decision to use QNX as our OS partner on our next generation multimedia
convergence computer (MCC) was made late last year. When I took over as
president of Amiga in February of this year, I initiated an in-depth review
of existing Amiga plans and decisions. As president of Amiga I had to make
sure that we were defining a strategy and an execution plan that would
allow Amiga and the Amiga community to be successful. We reviewed our
strategy, architecture decisions, technology partners, and execution plans.
During this review period we also added a number of very talented and
experienced people to help us finalize our technology and product
decisions. I am confident that we now have a solid and exciting plan that
people can have confidence in.

Linux has been picking up substantial momentum over the past year as a
viable, open OS alternative in the marketplace. This momentum, the growing
commitment to Linux applications from a wide variety of software vendors,
and the growing availability of Linux device drivers from hardware vendors,
makes it a compelling candidate. Additionally, with all of the significant
component suppliers putting resources on writing drivers for Linux it was
difficult to get them to port to yet another operating system. Using the
Linux OS as a foundation for our Amiga OE allows us to leverage a
significant amount of available software drivers and utilities. This allows
us to quickly support multiple graphics cards and other peripherals.

Given the above-mentioned advantages, we decided to do an in-depth
technical analysis of Linux to determine if it was a suitable OS kernel for
our new Amiga operating environment (OE). As we ported parts of our higher
level operating environment and AmigaObjectTM architecture to Linux, we
discovered some significant performance advantages in the Linux kernel in
areas such as distributed object messaging across a network (up to 10X the
performance of Windows NT). Although Linux configurations can be very large
in size, the core pieces of the Linux kernel are actually very small and
efficient. In considering hardware requirements we also found companies
working on hardware components that were optimized for the Linux kernel.
Additionally, Linux is probably the most stable operating system available
in the market. After months of in-depth research we were confident that we
could build an extremely exciting next generation Amiga based on the Linux
OS kernel.

Does this mean that the next generation Amiga will not be unique?
Absolutely not! Remember that the OS kernel is only one component of the
new Amiga OE and the hardware is unique. The revolutionary nature of the
Amiga OE is in the way it extends the traditional operating system to
provide a host environment for a new class of portable applications -
applications that exist in a pervasive networked computing environment. We
will be integrating multiple technologies including an efficient windowing
environment and a unique user interface.

In summary, we decided to use Linux because of the incredible momentum and
the fact that it is solid technology and a good foundation for our new
Amiga OE. Additionally, the Linux community is an impressive force that we
should be aligned with. We share many common values and objectives with the
Linux community. Using Linux as our OS kernel allows us to build a unique
and revolutionary operating environment while leveraging the enormous
momentum of Linux.

The soon to be released technology brief will further explain our
architecture and plans for integrating all of the selected technology. Once
you read it, I am confident that you will understand the revolutionary
nature of the next generation Amiga. I assure you that Amiga and the Amiga
community will be a driving force behind the next computer revolution.

Sincerely,
Jim Collas
President, Amiga

Move 3: QNX

Where Do We Stand?

Eight months ago we were chosen by Amiga as their foundation OS partner.
Our development group was thrilled to be part of the rebirth of such an
innovative product. To meet the challenge we knew it would take a
tremendous effort on our part. We had a team of people in place working
on our part of the Amiga NG soon after the alliance was announced. Over
the next few months we involved more and more of our engineering
resouces towards making QNX an advanced multi-media platform. Our
investment so far has been significant. These are costs we have born
ourselves.

It is clear today from Jim's letter that we were not chosen for the next
generation Amiga. Naturally we're disappointed. So, where do we stand
now? It is not our intent to confuse the Amiga community. We are proud
of what we have accomplished and want to include Amigans in what we've
achieved. I did make a promise to deliver an operating system and I
intend on keeping that promise. I don't want to split the community, nor
do I wish to engage in a war of words. I don't ask you to "trust" me or
to take me at my word. Both QNX and Amiga have promised to deliver
technology into your hands in the very near future. I ask only that your
assessment of QNX be based on what we do and what we deliver.

Thanks for the overwhelming support we have received so far.

Dan Dodge
CTO, QNX Software Systems

Move 4: Amiga

Dear Amigans,

I have read many of the comments from the Amiga community
regarding our Linux decision. The key observation I would make about
the feedback I have received is that people don't have a good
understanding of our plans for the next generation Amiga. This is my
fault and we are working to rectify this with the upcoming
technology brief. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not to judge the Linux
decision until you have a chance to read the technology brief.

The foundation OS is just one component of our new operating
environment. In addition to the OS, there are many components of
hardware and software technology being integrated into the final
product. The underlying OS is not what makes the next generation
Amiga revolutionary. You will more clearly understand this once we
have released the "technical brief" in the next few days. Whether we
use QNX or Linux, the new Amiga will be exciting, elegant, easy to
use, incredibly efficient and yes, truly revolutionary!

I should mention that I was adamantly against Linux when it was first
suggested in March. It took several months of intense research to
convince me that it was the right decision. I can assure you that the
decision was not made without a significant amount of deliberation. I
would not have made the Linux decision if I didn't believe it offers us
a better overall solution while significantly increasing our probability
of success. Please read this letter in detail to get a better
understanding of the factors that drove this decision.

I would like to further explain the Linux decision starting with the
concept of revolutionary:

rev·o·lu·tion·ary ("re-v&-'lü-sh&-"ner-E): adjective; 1 c: constituting
or bringing about a major or fundamental change in the way of
thinking about or visualizing something: a change of paradigm
[a revolutionary new product]

The key driving objective of our plans is to come out with a truly
revolutionary product that can drive the next computer revolution.
By definition, revolutionary ideas are not easy to visualize and are
difficult to communicate. The upcoming technology brief will help you
understand why the next generation Amiga is revolutionary. You
need to keep an open mind because revolutionary products ALWAYS
challenge the norm and most people think in terms of the norm. Once
you understand what makes the next generation Amiga unique and
revolutionary you will understand why picking Linux over QNX isn't a
critical technology decision.

Our design philosophy was to find a good solution for the traditional
pieces of the OS and build our revolutionary elements on top of this.
It's that simple. QNX is a good technical solution for the OS
components but poses a significant market and industry challenge.
Linux is sucking up the mind share and resources of most of the
major component manufacturers and technology suppliers. I simply
don't believe we can gain enough momentum without tapping into
the Linux momentum. Linux will give us continuous access to new
technology and components as they are released. With QNX we
could get out a new platform but I don't believe we would keep up
with the rapid technology changes in the computer industry. At
Gateway, I was one of the leading product executives in this
industry and I have in-depth experience in this area. IT WAS MY
ASSESSMENT THAT WE WOULD FAIL ON THIS PATH. Please take
note of this statement. How could I NOT make the Linux decision if I
truly believe this? How could we continue on a path that I think will
have us fail? Who will benefit if we fail?

Let's also talk about the Linux technology itself. Some people view
Linux as a stable but large and inefficient OS. I had this concern also
when Linux was first suggested so we spent a significant amount of
time understanding Linux, its strengths and weaknesses. We have
even discussed our Linux evaluation in-depth with Linus Torvalds to
better understand the pros and cons. Linux is evolving at a very
rapid pace and I was satisfied that it could comfortably meet our
technology requirements. Part of the reason Linux is large and
inefficient is because there are so many options and different
configurations. Amiga will define a clean and efficient Linux
configuration as a standard part of our operating environment.

An additional advantage of Linux is the fact that there are companies
working on hardware components optimized for the Linux kernel. This
will allow us to gain efficiencies and increased performance on the
MCC through tight integration of hardware and software components.
The MCC hardware will be highly optimized for both the Linux kernel
and Java. In addition to the unique Amiga OE, the MCC will run Linux
and Java better than any other computer in the world. This is worth
some market momentum and will significantly increase our probability
of success. We should expect to sell many Amiga computers into the
Linux community and this is a good thing. We won't be successful
unless we can increase the size of the Amiga community.

I can understand the caution that many of you have on this
announcement and will work aggressively to alleviate your concerns.
I want to emphasize that it was not my intention to mislead the
Amiga community in any way. I have been working hard to put
together the best plan possible for Amiga to drive the next computer
revolution. I believe that the Linux decision is consistent with this
objective. Maybe I should have communicated this decision as soon
as it was made several weeks ago but I was hoping to get out more
information on the overall architecture first. I apologize for not doing
a better job planning the communication on this. I am making dozens
of key decisions a day and some of them aren't ideal. There are some
people that will use the confusion caused by this situation to fuel a
negative community reaction in order to split the community. It is
critical that we stand united as a community or all will be lost. Please
be patient, strive to understand, and have confidence. It's been a
long and turbulent ride but I promise you that the wait will be worth
it.